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"One in a billion," "destined," "unbelievable." Countless adjectives have been thrown around to describe the remarkable twist of fate that placed Lionel Messi in a photo with an infant Lamine Yamal nearly two decades before the two would meet in a World Cup final. Messi himself chose the word "crazy."
"As someone who considers themselves tech-savvy and capable of distinguishing AI from real images, I genuinely believed the photo of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal was AI-generated," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confessed.
That skepticism is understandable in an era saturated with digital manipulation. Even the photos in question have been subjected to numerous face swaps since they resurfaced. Yet the originals are entirely genuine, however extraordinary the coincidence might seem.
The Story Behind Messi and Yamal's Photoshoot
The Catalan sports newspaper Diario SPORT set out to produce a calendar for Barcelona in partnership with the global charity UNICEF, whose name appeared on the front of the club's jerseys at the time, at the turn of the century. SPORT journalist Joan Vehils was responsible for coordinating the logistics of the photoshoot in late 2007, with Barcelona providing the players and UNICEF selecting the children to be paired with each footballer through a random draw.
There were 12 shoots in total, but the one for January 2008 has since gained extraordinary fame. By pure chance, Messi was matched with a baby from Rocafonda who would go on to become Barcelona's next iconic No. 10.
Photographer Joan Monfort recalled a challenging experience. "It was a difficult shot," he told The Athletic. "We can say I sweated some blood to take it.
"Lionel Messi is still shy now. He was much more shy when he was starting out, and he finds himself there with a tiny baby in a plastic bath full of water. At the start, there was not much interaction. It was difficult for all of them. But, bit by bit, it started to happen and in the end, it's a pretty good photo."
In 2007, then 20-year-old Lionel Messi posed with 3-month-old Lamine Yamal. Now, the two soccer stars are facing off in the World Cup final. https://t.co/0CeUl7gkad pic.twitter.com/u8E2K261Kw
Monfort credited Yamal's mother, Sheila Ebana, with helping ease the tension between the pair. "The mother helped a lot," the photographer explained. "Her presence was absolutely essential so the baby didn't feel too unsettled. You're looking for a tender image—something sweet and warm."
Each month of the 2008 calendar features a different theme; Carles Puyol is engaged in a tug-of-war, Ronaldinho is crouched beside a basketball, Thierry Henry is laughing while being squirted with a water syringe. For Messi and Yamal, Monfort chose a plastic bathtub and brought along a rubber duck that his own daughter, Jana, used at home.
When the photograph first came to public attention, Monfort's phone rang nonstop. "He's very discreet," Jana Monfort said of her father in an interview with CNN. "He's actually not enjoying it. Well, maybe for a few days. But afterwards he's just like, not that kind of person." Monfort has Yamal's father to thank for the spotlight.
How Messi and Yamal Picture Resurfaced
While Messi, Barcelona, and photographer Monfort had no idea Yamal had already crossed paths with his fated successor, his father Mounir Nasraoui had been holding onto the image for years. Nasraoui waited until the day before his teenage son faced host nation Germany in the 2024 European Championship quarterfinal before sharing the image publicly with a simple Instagram post: "The beginning of two legends."
Many have interpreted the image as Messi passing his brilliance on to Yamal — a kind of soccer baptism. But Nasraoui, in his characteristically direct manner, questioned whether it wasn't actually the reverse.
"Maybe Lamine was giving it to Leo, I don't know," Yamal's father argued. "For me, my son is the best. In everything."
At the time of the photoshoot in late 2007, Messi was regarded as one of soccer's most exciting young talents and would go on to finish third in that year's Ballon d'Or vote. Notably, all eight of his world player of the year awards came after he had given Yamal a bath.
Messi Breaks Silence on 'Crazy' Picture
The script writes itself. pic.twitter.com/yoWWvlXUTd
Right up until the eve of the 2026 World Cup final, Messi had not publicly commented on the photoshoot. When prompted by Tom Brady on a stage in New York two days before the final, Argentina's captain admitted: "Honestly, that photo of us is crazy, because—well, that's life, right? I took a photo with him as a baby, and here we both are, facing off in a World Cup."
The two will be opponents at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, yet there is genuine warmth between them. "Lamine is an enormous talent, someone I've followed closely because he plays for a club I love and I always wish him the best, I always want the best for him," Messi said warmly, speaking over the chants of an eager crowd awaiting the Spanish translation.
"And, well, he's one of the world's benchmark players at 19 years old, and he has his whole career ahead of him. He has a great opportunity to achieve something historic, which we'll try our hardest to make sure doesn't happen this time. I just want to wish him the best.
"It's crazy. He's one of the best in the world right now, no doubt about it. And I wish him a lot of luck, because what's good for him will also be good for Barcelona."
What Yamal Thinks of Messi Coincidence
"The truth is I'm surprised because Messi is holding me in his arms, and I'm not even looking at him," Yamal laughed when asked about the picture last year. "I don't know what I was doing, but I'm very happy to have the photo with the best player in history."
Yamal has since acknowledged that both of them have "grown" quite a bit since that picture was taken, while pushing back on the idea that he needs to follow precisely in Messi's footsteps.
"We both know I don't want to be Messi, and Messi knows I don't want to be him. I want to follow my own path, and that's it." Almost impossibly, that path has brought Yamal right back to Messi.